Hilton is opening doors—to
new hotels, new experiences and new customers.
That was the message conveyed at a
Hilton media event in New York City on Jan. 21, where executives shared news from
the 24-brand hotel company.
With major luxury properties debuting
this year, an expanding Lifestyle hotel portfolio, and strategic partnerships that
enhance Hilton’s appeal to younger travelers, Hilton aims to “bring warm,
enlightened hospitality to every stay and every guest,” said Oral Muir, vice
president of partnerships, experiences, and distribution.
Significant Luxury
Openings in 2025
Hilton’s five luxury brands—Waldorf
Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels
& Resorts, LXR Hotels &
Resorts, NoMad Hotels
and Signia
by Hilton—had a record-breaking year of growth in 2024. And—thanks
to Hilton’s partnership with Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) last year—hundreds
of the boutique luxury brand’s properties can be booked on all Hilton direct
booking channels, and Hilton Honors’ 200 million-plus members can earn and
redeem points for SLH stays.
“Our commitment to luxury has been quite
profound," said Dino Michael, senior vice president and global head of
Hilton Luxury Brands. "Our partnership with SLH has given us an additional
400-plus destinations for our guests to visit, places that we’ve been told over
and over again, ‘We want to go there.’”
The expansion continues in 2025, with
Hilton opening at least one luxury hotel a month. This spring will see the
long-awaited reopening of the Waldorf Astoria New York, which is “not only
our flagship for the Waldorf Astoria brand, it’s a flagship for our entire
company,” said Michael.
Spanning a city block at 301 Park
Avenue between 49th and 50th streets, the legendary art
deco hotel, formerly 1,400 rooms, will reopen with 375 rooms, suites, and residences.
“All the areas you know and love are there, and they’re restored beyond their
former glory,” said Michael.
One such iconic Waldorf Astoria spot
is the Peacock Alley Bar, which will feature a cocktail program curated by acclaimed
mixologist Jeff Bell, managing partner of renowned speakeasy Please Don’t Tell.
Bell is also developing the cocktail list at the hotel’s signature restaurant,
Lex Yard.
The Waldorf Astoria Costa Rica Punta Cacique will open this spring. (Photo Credit: © 2025 Hilton)
Hilton’s key luxury openings in 2025 also
include:
- The Waldorf
Astoria Costa Rica Punta Cacique is opening this spring and is situated on the dramatic
cliffside peninsula of Cacique on Guanacaste’s secluded Playa Penca
- The Waldorf
Astoria Osaka, the first Waldorf in Japan, opens this
spring and spans 12 stories of a
39-story high-rise in the new Grand Green Osaka urban mixed-use development
- The Waldorf
Astoria Shanghai Qiantan is slated to open in September in Shanghai’s New Bund area.
- The Waldorf Astoria
Rabat Salé is located in the tallest building in Morocco and
the third tallest building in Africa.
- The Conrad Athens is scheduled
to open this year alongside Waldorf Astoria Residences and Conrad
Residences in The Ilisian, a landmark building in the heart of
the city that once housed the Hilton Athens.
- The Conrad
Hamburg
is scheduled to open in August in a historic building in the heart of the
city, marking the debut of the Conrad brand in Germany.
- LXR Hotels & Resorts – Casablanca, marking the Morocco debut of
Hilton’s award-winning collection of independent luxury hotels.
- The recently opened Signia by Hilton Ammanin Jordan's capital isthe brand’s first property outside the U.S.
To support the
top-producing luxury travel advisors booking Hilton’s growing high-end
portfolio, the company introduced Hilton for Luxury last year. The invitation-only program is
a one-stop shop for luxury travel advisors, with a concierge desk, a dedicated
private website, exclusive offers, value-added benefits and direct contact with
on-property team members.
Focus on Lifestyle Brands
Hilton is poised to
double the size of its six-brand Lifestyle portfolio, adding 350 properties by
2028. These brands—including Canopy, Graduate, Curio
Collection, Tapestry
Collection, Tempo and Motto—are designed to offer distinct and
local travel experiences, and “have a point of view,” said Kevin Osterhaus, Hilton’s
newly appointed president of global lifestyle brands.
Osterhaus previously was
president of Graduate Hotels, which was purchased by Hilton last year. The 35 Graduate
by Hilton properties are university-themed, and celebrate their locations'
history, charm and pop culture.
Two of the latest to debut
are the Graduate
by Hilton Princeton,
located just steps from Princeton University in New Jersey, and the Graduate
by Hilton Auburn, near Alabama’s Auburn
University. Upcoming locations include the soon-to-open Graduate
by Hilton Dallas, across the street from
Southern Methodist University, and the Graduate by Hilton Austin, slated
to open in 2027 near the University of Texas campus.
Osterhaus will oversee
the segment’s expansion from Hilton’s new Lifestyle hub in New York. “We’re
very excited this year to build the team, to get the hub opened here [in
Manhattan], and to start to really focus on growth,” said Osterhaus.
The newly opened Graduate by Hilton Princeton is located just steps from Princeton University in New Jersey. (Photo Credit: © 2025 Hilton)
Additional news from
Hilton’s Lifestyle brands includes:
- The Motto brand of
stylish micro-hotels expanding to South America with Motto
by Hilton Cusco in Peru. Motto properties
combine efficient guestrooms with locations in the center of the action,
including upcoming openings in downtown Nashville, midtown Atlanta and Hong
Kong.
- The Tapestry Collection
of upscale, original hotels experiencing significant international growth, including
its first hotel in Northern Ireland—The
Marcus Portrush, a historic building
conversion slated to open this summer. Notable recent Tapestry openings include
the Delfins
Beach Resort Bonaire, while upcoming debuts
include the ski-in, ski-out Hotel
Ascent Park City in Utah.
The lobby bar at the Motto by Hilton Cusco, the brand’s first property in South America. (Photo Credit: © 2025 Hilton)
Partnerships Expanding Customer Base
As
Hilton expands its portfolio—by record-breaking numbers in 2024, when the
company added 973 hotels—it’s also forging partnerships that expand its
customer base.
One
prime example is AutoCamp, a glamping company that “allows
customers to blend outdoor living with a boutique hotel experience,” said Muir.
At AutoCamps, in classic outdoor adventure destinations such as Zion, Utah; Yosemite
and Joshua Tree, California; and Cape Cod, Massachusetts, accommodations
include custom-designed Airstream trailers, spacious cabins and luxury tents. Another
defining feature of AutoCamp is its Clubhouse, located in the heart of each property,
with a market and food-and-beverage options.
AutoCamp
stays are bookable on Hilton’s direct channels, and Hilton Honors members can
earn and redeem points at the properties. Honors members’ perks at AutoCamp
include a s’mores kit, a bundle of firewood, eco-friendly waters and
space-available upgrades for Diamond members.
Jenn
Chick, senior vice president and global head of loyalty and customer growth, considers
AutoCamp a great way to introduce Hilton and its loyalty program to a younger
generation. “We’ve been able to attract a new kind of customer,” says Chick. “AutoCamp
is a perfect fit.”
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